The Thinkologist and the Good Deed Doer
by Marauder-In-Disguise
Summary: Ashley doesn't know anything about happy endings...Second story in the Fairy 'Verse that began with 'Princesses, Witches and Bachelors, Oh My'
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – This wasn't going to be the first sequel I wrote but people requested it and so I made it a priority. Film fans may notice a theme I have going with the titles of the stories in this universe :)**

**Disclaimer – I don't own it. Never have done, seriously doubt I ever will…**

Once upon a time there was a girl named Ashley and – well, dear reader, you know all this already. Her evil father gave her to the wicked witch Erin Blackheart, as payment for a debt he had racked up. Ashley worked for the witch and dreamed of escape every day, her plans always foiled at the last moment. That was until salvation came storming (quite literally) into the castle in the form of Princess Emily Ravenhair and her band of merry men. Ashley helped them destroy the witch and was allowed to return to the altogether nicer castle of King Jason, where she didn't have to look over her shoulder at every turn. And, as far as she knew, that was her happy-ever-after.

As far as she knew.

But one day, a hunting accident, a crotchety witch and a trip into the forest happened, and Ashley realised that her happy-ever-after had barely got itself out of bed, let alone got dressed up and presented itself in its Sunday best. And it all started on one very quiet afternoon…

Since Princess Emily moved to the Western Kingdom with her husband, Sir Aaron, and Princess Jennifer moved to the mountains with King David, King Jason's castle was a very calm place. Ashley preferred it that way, after the mayhem that Erin and her henchmen managed to make. All that fighting and evil laughter tended to give her a headache. With the king, all she had to do was tend to his few demands and then spend the rest of the time reading in the library. The other servants were kind – Kevin, the stable boy, taught her to ride – and Jason's advisor, Doctor Spencer Wordsmith taught her chess and told her all about things she had never heard of before. She liked Spencer very much – he didn't treat her like an inferior and he was eager to teach her. One day, when Ashley was in the kitchen the cook, Mrs Todd, asked her if she and Spencer were sweethearts.

"N-no," Ashley blushed, "He's my friend!"

"Mmm," Mrs Todd grinned, throwing the carrot she was chopping into the pot, "Just as long as you're sure."

The next time she saw him, Ashley blushed again and he asked her, with genuine concern, if she was hot. After that, she didn't really think on what Mrs Todd has said. There didn't seem to be much point.

On that quiet afternoon, King Jason and Spencer had gone out hunting. The king was determined that his young friend would learn how to fire a bow and arrow. Ashley had cleaned the king's chamber and scrubbed his shirts clean, and was just wondering what she would do with herself when the sound of horses galloping into the courtyard caught her attention. The hunting party wasn't due back for at least two more hours. She rushed to the entrance hall to King Jason, supported by Spencer and Emily's old bodyguard, Anderson, being carried through the main door. Jason was impossibly pale, sweating and mumbling incoherently.

His tunic was soaked with blood.

"We have to get him upstairs," Spencer said, startling Ashley into action. She moved and spotted Kevin hovering anxiously by the door.

"Kevin, take the fastest horse and fetch Madam Greentree!" she cried, already running for the kitchens. Mrs Todd was dozing in her rocking chair when Ashley ran in and she started comically.

"What's wrong?"

"King Jason's had an accident," Ashley said grimly, filling a large bowl from the cauldron of warm water kept permanently on the fire, "Keep the hot water topped up. We're going to need it."

She was gone so quickly that she didn't hear Mrs Todd's answer. Running up the stairs, careful not to spill a drop, she found Spencer and Anderson settling the king as best they could. Jason was still, incredibly, conscious and he looked straight at her. The pain was written all over his face and Ashley had to force herself to keep looking at him. She put the bowl on the side table, moving aside the book pile that had taken up residence there, and turned to the gaping wound in Jason's stomach.

"What happened?" she asked Spencer, gingerly peeling away the bloody material. The king groaned and she winced.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty."

"His horse slipped," Spencer said miserably, "He fell onto a downed tree branch. We didn't have anything to cut it away. Anderson tried to snap it off but he – he started screaming. We had to pull it out. It was the only way."

He reached across and took the bowl of water, cradling it between his trembling hands whilst Ashley slowly began to sponge away the blood. Her efforts seemed to make little difference, and the panic she had been quelling began to rise as a fresh amount of blood oozed between her fingers.

"You have to press down," Spencer explained, losing the bowl of water and taking a piece of cloth. He pushed it down firmly on the wound. Jason gasped one last time and then, thankfully, he lost consciousness.

"Is there anything you can do?"

"Not much more. I've studied medicine but I've never practiced it. We'll have to wait for Madam Greentree and hope she can work a miracle."

They stood like that, Spencer's hand pressing down on the wound, for what seemed entirely too long. Ashley wiped a cool cloth over Jason's burning forehead and wished silently that he would recover. With no stars to make the wish on, she knew it wouldn't work so well but desperate times called for desperate measures, and she promised herself that if the king was still alive by the time darkness fell she would make the wish properly.

Eventually there was a commotion outside and Kevin burst into the room with Madam Greentree on his heels. He collapsed into the chair, gasping, but the witch strode towards the bed with a grim look on her face.

"You!" she pointed at Spencer, "Tell me what happened and make it quick."

As Spencer talked, Elle moved his hands away from Jason's stomach and lowered her head, peering into the wound and examining it with fingers that betrayed the gentleness she tried so hard to conceal.

"Well, I think he'll live," she nodded, wiping her hand on a cloth Ashley offered her, and reaching for the leather bag she had brought with her, "But we must work quickly."

A large number of glass jars and phials appeared from the bag and stacked up on the king's reading table.

"Here is what I need," Elle said sharply, pointing at Ashley, "I need a constant supply of warm water and as many clean cloths as you can find. And you," she pointed at Spencer, "Need to go into the forest and find me a sample of the wood that did the damage and I need you to go to the hidden pool behind the Starfall Waterfall and bring me a phial of the water. Can you do that?"

Spencer looked stricken, "I'm sorry, Madam Greentree but I have never actually come across that waterfall."

"I thought you were a genius!" Elle said incredulously, "What's the point of-"

"I know where it is, Madam Greentree," Ashley interjected, "Mrs Todd can handle the water. I'll go as well."

"Fine, fine, I don't care," Elle threw her hands up, turning to her jars and removing lids. After a moment she looked up to find them both still standing there.

"Well go then! Be as quick as you can," she looked pityingly at Jason as he moaned in his sleep, "He's strong but I don't know how long I can keep him alive waiting for you."

Something inside Ashley clicked and she nodded fiercely, grabbing Spencer's hand and pulling him from the room. They ran through the castle, hand in hand, and leapt onto the abandoned horses wandering aimlessly around the courtyard.

"How far is the waterfall, Ashley?"

"Two hours ride to the east."

"That's the direction we were headed," Spencer wheeled his horse around and spurred the bay stallion onwards, "If we push the horses we can be back in three hours."

"How long can Madam Greentree keep him alive?"

"I don't want to think about it," Spencer implored, and not for the first time Ashley considered how much of a burden he carried, with a mind as extraordinary as his. Whereas a normal person would only be concerned for their closest friend, Spencer had everything he had ever read about medicine weighing on his mind. Ashley caught his arm before he could push his horse into a gallop.

"He'll be alright, Spencer. Don't worry."

**T.B.C**

**A/N 2 – A message from our sponsors…**

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – And here is chapter two. This story is mega short compared to the other one but then it's a nice and simple idea :) I hope you've enjoyed; more to come from this universe as soon as I get a second to think.**

**For disclaimer see chapter one.**

_One hour gone and King Jason was still alive._

_Mrs Todd had gone to fetch Elle a cup of tea, and the witch took the opportunity to let her features relax into the worry she was concealing._

_One hour gone and King Jason was still alive._

**--**

"We were around here," Spencer said slowly, gazing up at the rapidly setting sun through the leaves of the tallest trees. With surprising agility he leapt down from the horse and began to count his steps, moving slowly back and forth as though he were dancing a waltz by himself. He looked so funny that despite the situation, Ashley found herself laughing. He looked up in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"You look like you're dancing."

"No one ever taught me how to dance," he shrugged, "I wouldn't know I was doing it."

"Everyone knows how to dance, Spencer," Ashley said, joining him in the search for the offending tree branch, "You just close your eyes and do whatever you feel like doing. No one can tell you you're wrong."

"I like to do things correctly. People laugh if you don't."

"Maybe you just haven't met the right people."

He went quiet for a moment, and she looked up to find him gazing thoughtfully at her. With a slight flush to her cheeks, she moved a little into the clearing and was confronted by a large, red stain. It startled her and she stumbled back into Spencer's arms.

"You found it," he said grimly, releasing her and bending down to snap off a piece of the rust coloured, sticky wood.

"What's my prize?"

"Not being turned into a slug by Madam Greentree."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me."

**--**

_Two hours gone and King Jason was still alive._

_Elle had drunk seven cups of tea, as was expected from a witch, and successfully resisted the urge to liven the beverages up with a nip of something stronger. The king had stopped bleeding, thank goodness, but there was a weakness to his breathing that Elle found most disconcerting. Most disconcerting indeed._

_Two hours gone and King Jason was still alive._

**--**

For a waterfall that had managed to evade all mentions on a map, the Starfall was remarkably easy to find. Ashley liked to think it was because people were so enchanted by its beauty that they forgot why they were carrying a pencil and a notepad and a badge that said the holder worked for the Ministry of Map Drawing.

"How did you find this place?" Spencer asked, his eyes tracing the outlines of the purple veined rocks that were arranged jauntily around the pool.

"I used to work for the Ministry of Map Drawing," she chuckled heartily, adding only when she saw his politely bemused look, "Not really. I was just out walking and I stumbled across it. I suppose I thought it was worth remembering."

She'd already begun to pick her way around the edge of the pool, and Spencer followed closely behind, leaping elegantly from boulder to boulder and clinging to the overhanging branches, with their red leaves, for balance. When they got to the cascading water, Ashley stopped to take the phial Elle had given them from the pocket of her hugely-impractical-for-a-rescue-mission dress. The water crashed past, a rich mixture of blues, greens and silver with just a few hints of the gold that gave the falls its name. Normally, she would have stopped to admire it, but instead she just took a deep breath and ploughed through. Spencer's shadow was just visible outside, running his hand through the water and murmuring about the colours. Ashley took a quick look around the dimly lit cavern to check she wasn't sharing it with some curious creature and, once satisfied, knelt at the edge of the water and filled the phial. The water flared silver when she stoppered the tube and tucked it away safely, before stepping back through the water. Spencer blinked when she appeared next to him, his mind so enthralled with the new experience that he had forgotten why they were there, and then removed his heavy cloak, a gift from the king himself.

"Here," he wrapped it round her shoulders, "You're soaked."

"Thank you," she murmured, feeling suddenly shy even as she pulled the cloak further around her, in case he should try and take it away, "Now let's go. We can still make it in three hours if we hurry."

She was feeling so enthused about the whole ordeal that she failed entirely to notice Spencer's dumbfounded silence as he gazed at her hair, damp and curling prettily around her face.

**--**

_Three hours gone and King Jason was still alive._

_Seemingly against all the odds, he'd woken up halfway into the hour and the sound of his whisper in the otherwise silent room almost startled Elle out of her chair._

"_Where's Spencer?" he asked, his eyes searching her face as she took his hand, "I have – I have to tell him something."_

"_Don't even think about it, your Majesty. No last words here."_

_He gazed at her for a moment longer and then his eyes closed and he was unconscious once more. Elle checked the clock and cursed her trembling hand. _

_Three hours gone and King Jason was still alive._

**--**

They thundered into the courtyard, abandoning the exhausted horses to Kevin's capable care. Ashley took the lead as they raced up the stairs, Anderson who had been waiting in the entrance hall right behind them. Ashley threw the door open, met by Elle who was already on her feet and holding out her hands for the water and the wood. The items delivered, Spencer collapsed into the chair gasping for breath. No one noticed Ashley slipping out of the room again.

"Did we make it?" he asked fearfully, "Is he going to make it?"

"I make no guarantees, Doctor, you know that. But I think yes, he'll be alright," Elle shrugged absently, unstopping the phial and pouring it into the bowl. She used the candle from the mantle to light the wood and let the ashes fall into the sparkling water. She murmured whilst she did it and the dark ashes turned blood red. Spencer watched in fascination as she poured a little of the potion into the wound and then used the rest to bathe it with a cloth. She remained silent throughout and so Spencer looked to talk to Ashley. When he noticed she was gone, he stood up shakily and went to look for her.

She had removed herself to the nearest balcony. It was getting dark, and she had remembered the promise that she had made to herself. A few familiar stars were making an effort to shine but there still wasn't one that caught her attention.

"What are you doing?" a soft voice asked from behind her.

"Wishing."

"Why?" Spencer said, craning his neck to look up at the inky sky.

"I promised myself that if the king was still alive at sunset I would wish on a star for him to be well."

She caught the tail end of a sceptical look on her companion's face and shrugged.

"An old habit. It's sort of silly, I know."

"I don't think it's silly. Highly improbable but nothing's impossible. I wish I could believe in something."

Looking at his hand resting on the stone balustrade, Ashley took a chance, reached out and took it. Spencer's breath hitched.

"It's so easy, Spencer," she gestured with her spare hand, "Just pick a star and hope with all your heart that it comes true. That's all it is, really. Hope."

She kept a hold on his hand but turned to the sky. A particularly bright light had just appeared.

"Please let King Jason get well soon, Little Star," she murmured, "Now you, Spencer."

Feeling a little foolish but wanting desperately to vindicate Ashley's simple faith. Spencer looked to the sky and repeated her words.

"Please let Jason get well soon, Little Star."

"Don't you feel a bit better now?" she grinned.

"A bit. Thank you."

Anderson appeared at the door behind them, a relieved smile on his tired face.

"Madam Greentree says he's going to recover. You did it, both of you."

With a delighted laugh, Ashley clapped her hands and wrapped her arms around Spencer's thin frame.

"I told you it would work," she squealed planting a kiss on his cheek almost before she knew what she was doing. Her heart did an odd little leap as she did, and judging by the look on his face, his did too. The stars twinkled softly above their heads and their breaths, clouds in the frosty air, mingled as they stood looking at one another. His eyes widened just a fraction and Ashley knew that he was thinking the same as her.

So she kissed him, shyly, all the while remembering her words from moments ago.

_That's all it is, really. Hope._

Ashley believed in hope. It was the only thing that had never let her down in her short life. That's why she kissed him. Hope had never been wrong before.

And then she pulled away with a grin, and disappeared through the doors, leaving a very confused Spencer standing with his fingers pressed to his lips. Doctor Spencer Wordsmith had read a lot of books in his life, and one thing had apparently been missing from every single one…because he never knew that happy endings could happen _twice_.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Ok, so I know I said this story wasn't going to be any longer but I decided that it needed another chapter to finish it off, especially because I felt like there hasn't been enough King Jason for my liking. This really is the last chapter in this story, I guarantee it. I've done all I can do with it.**

**Disclaimer – Not mine. Never was, never will be.**

At Elle's very vocal insistence, King Jason was forced to remain in his bed for five days in order to rest from his ordeal. The witch visited twice a day to make sure that he was healing well, and the rest of the time his care was left to Ashley. It was testament to Elle's hold over the king that, despite his complaints, he stayed in his room even when Elle was not there to enforce her rules. Spencer was of course present as well, taking orders from Jason for things that simply couldn't wait and helping to entertain him as best he could.

Ashley and Spencer put a lot of effort into ignoring one another during the day; the problem was not so much that they thought Jason would oppose their union, but that neither actually knew what to call their relationship. Since that first kiss, they had taken dinner together every night and had walked in the garden afterwards, with Spencer nervously taking Ashley's hand. The initiative stopped there though, and whilst Ashley wasn't exactly concerned she thought it best that Jason focus on his recovery. Evidentially, Spencer agreed.

On the fourth morning, everything changed. Ashley slipped into the king's chamber early, intent on doing some quiet cleaning, only to find that Jason was already awake and reading a book from the pile that Spencer had placed beside him only the day before.

"Good morning, your majesty," Ashley curtsied, "I wasn't expecting to find you awake so early. Madam Greentree says you should be resting."

"I've done nothing but rest these last few days!" Jason exclaimed, looking sternly over the top of his glasses, "No one can sleep as much as Madam Greentree seems to think they can."

Despite his tone, Ashley could hear his usual good natured voice behind it and she smiled as she flitted over to the window to pull back the heavy curtains. The king was very fond of Elle, however much he grumbled, but he looked so sorry for himself that Ashley was inclined to offer him a respite.

"What would you like for breakfast this morning, your majesty?"

"Madam Greentree recommends porridge and fruit," the king sighed, "Surely you haven't forgotten."

"I was actually going to see if Mrs. Todd had any bacon and eggs in the larder," Ashley whispered conspiringly. From the way Jason's face lit up, you would have thought she had offered him nectar from the gods themselves.

"With coffee?" he murmured, as though afraid that Elle was hiding behind the curtains.

"Of course."

Jason nodded enthusiastically, his book forgotten on his lap.

"That would be wonderful, Ashley. Thank you."

Mrs. Todd prepared the request with no protests, only going so far as to warn Ashley that if the witch found out, she would be as much to blame as Jason and the things Elle could do to a servant girl were far worse than she could do to a king. Ashley only shrugged; living in the castle of Erin Blackheart had taught her a thing or three about witches, and as far as they went, Elle was a pushover. Besides, for a real breakfast, she knew that the king would go to extraordinary lengths to protect anyone who provided him with one, especially after having been trapped for days.

Carrying the tray upstairs, Ashley stopped at the king's door because she could hear voices. Spencer was in there, no doubt being given a list of things that simply had to be done and most definitely couldn't wait. Balancing the tray on one hand and knocking with the other, she didn't wait for a reply and let herself into the room.

"One top secret breakfast," she joked, placing the tray on Jason's lap. Muttering his thanks, the king wasted no time in tucking in to the first real food he had eaten in days.

"Good morning, Ashley," Spencer said, eying the tray disapprovingly, "That's not according to Madam Greentree's recommendation-"

"Leave her alone, Spencer," Jason said between mouthfuls, "The way I'm feeling right now, I'd knight the girl if I thought I could get away with it."

"His majesty was so downcast this morning, Doctor," Ashley said seriously, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, "I thought it best to try and cheer him up."

Their eyes met for just a moment, a second too long, and Spencer found himself smiling as well.

"Well, if Madam Greentree finds out, I want her to know I had no part in the conspiracy."

"You'll be safe," Ashley said graciously, "Someone must run the kingdom when the king and I are turned into frogs for our crime."

Without a word more, and only a neat bow in the king's direction, Spencer slipped from the room. Wondering briefly of the king had noticed their flirtation, and then deciding that he was much too interested in his breakfast to have seen a thing, Ashley began to clean the room as she had intended that morning. But she was so intent on her task that she didn't feel Jason's eyes resting thoughtfully on her as he sipped from his coffee.

When King Jason's imprisonment ended, he declared the first thing he wanted to do was take a gentle stroll around the gardens, and he asked Spencer to join him. It was a beautiful, frosty morning, made all the more beautiful by the fact that Madam Greentree had only been able to look on disapprovingly as Jason appreciated his new found freedom. Ashley had fussed, insisting that he wear his warmest clothes and beseeching Spencer to keep an eye on him.

They walked slowly, discussing the business of court that Jason had missed and the letter that he had received that morning from Jennifer. When they came to a stone bench that Spencer had never noticed before, the king insisted that they sit for a while. There was something carved into the back of the bench, and Spencer read it before he sat down.

_Queen Sarah – beloved mother and dearest love._

Jason's fingers tenderly traced the outline of the words, and Spencer realised who the bench was commemorating.

"You majesty, is this-"

"My Sarah, yes," Jason smiled softly, "I don't often bring people here, Spencer. Sit down."

Obediently, the younger man did so and immediately understood why the bench was placed in such an obscure place. The view through the trees was spectacular.

"I proposed to her here," Jason said suddenly, "We were promised to one another from birth and I was so sure I would hate her. But then she came to visit, when we were both of age, and I was in love before I even knew it."

"What was she like?" Spencer asked, his natural curiosity overwhelming the little voice in his head that told him Jason was acting very strangely.

"Perfect. Jennifer takes after her particularly but she looked much more like Emily."

"You must miss her."

"I do," Jason said wistfully, a sad smile playing over his features that suddenly made the look in his eyes make much more sense, "When she died I was sure that I'd never be happy again. But time dulls the pain, in the end."

Spencer nodded, unable to word a response that he felt did the feelings Jason had revealed justice. The king glanced sideways at him and spoke again.

"You're wondering why I'm telling you this."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"I only have the best intentions," Jason assured him, "You needn't look so worried. I'm telling you this because it is important to me that the people I care for are happy. And that includes you, Spencer."

"I see."

"No, I don't think you do. I am talking about love, Spencer. My daughters are happy and settled, with almost no thanks to me, because I couldn't explain to them the things I'm trying to tell you. But you're a man, Spencer, and I think you can understand me when I tell you that love will drive you half mad if you let it. If something is there you should reach out and hold on and most importantly, you should never let go."

Jason's intense gaze needed some interpreting and Spencer almost panicked under the pressure, but then all of the pieces fell into place and he knew what Jason was talking about.

"Oh," he blushed, "You mean-"

"Yes. I know something has happened because you're awkward around one another."

"She – she kissed me," Spencer stumbled, somewhat relieved to be able to discuss with someone, "And we had dinner and I held her hand but I don't know what to do or say."

"Do you love her?"

"I think so. She's intrigued me for a while and then when she kissed me – I couldn't breathe."

"You're describing what I had with Sarah. You just have to tell her how you feel. If it's right, it will happen the way you want it to."

"Really?"

"Take it from me, son. You'll never get enough time with her, so you have to make the most of what you do get. Go, now. Before you lose your nerve."

With a speed that Jason didn't even know his young protégée was capable of, Spencer was up and running towards the castle. His feet literally almost didn't touch the floor and, chuckling at the embodiment of the age old metaphor, Jason followed behind at a much steadier pace, aware of the still healing wound in his stomach. When he got back to the castle, there was no one around except a footman and two maids who curtsied shyly when he walked past. In the library, Anderson was curled in an armchair with a book open on his folded legs.

"I saw him about ten minutes ago, your majesty," he answered upon Jason's enquiry as to where Spencer had gone, "He was talking to Ashley on the window seat in the corridor. Looked pretty pleased with himself – do you know what it was about?"

"I have a few vague ideas," Jason replied, a smile playing over his face as he selected his own book and chair and settled down for a quiet afternoon's reading, his job well and truly done.

**A/N 2 – The Profiler's Choice Awards are swinging over on Chit Chat on Author's Corner. Head over there to vote for all your favourite stories and give your favourite authors some love! Speaking of love, thanks so much to everyone who nominated 'Princesses, Witches and Bachelors, Oh My!' for best Alternative Universe. I'm so humbled and totally ecstatic! **


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